XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien, alt.books.inklings   
   From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   On Mon, 25 May 2015 15:08:56 -0700, Barry Schwarz    
   wrote:   
      
   >At the Council of Elrond, Glorfindel suggest sending the ring "over   
   >the Sea."  Elrond responds "They who dwell beyond the Sea would not   
   >receive it: for good or ill it belongs to Middle-earth."  How can he   
   >and Gandalf keep a straight face during this?   
   >   
   >They both know that Sauron is not a creature of Middle-earth.  He is a   
   >Maia.  He entered Arda with the Valar at the beginning of the world   
   >and eventually became Melkor's servant.  The Valar chose to delay   
   >dealing with Melkor due to their uncertainty about the coming of Elves   
   >and Men.   
   >   
   >But what is their excuse for not dealing with Sauron after the War of   
   >Wrath.  Gandalf, in his true form as one of the high ranking Maiar,   
   >would have been there as part of the Western forces.  Elrond would be   
   >there as part of the Elven forces.  They both would have known that   
   >Sauron surrendered to Eonwë and his subsequent escape was due solely   
   >to blatant negligence by the Powers.  All the havoc Sauron caused,   
   >from the destruction of Númenor to making the One Ring, was   
   >perpetrated by someone from Valinor and tolerated by the Valar's   
   >indifference.   
   >   
   >Why is it the responsibility of the inhabitants of Middle-earth to   
   >deal with problems caused by an outsider?  It's not like the Valar   
   >didn't know what was happening.  In the Akallabêth: "Manwë was   
   >grieved, seeing a cloud gather ..."   
   >   
   >It should not have been necessary to send the ring into the West.  The   
   >Valar should have come for it and Sauron.  If not immediately after   
   >discovering his escape then as part of the changing of the world when   
   >Ar-Pharazôn stepped on Undying Lands.   
      
   Perhaps for the same reason that Thulcandra was the silent planet --   
   so that its evil did not spread beyond the orbit of the moon.   
      
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm   
        http://www.goodreads.com/hayesstw   
        http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)